by Sam Amick, USA TODAY Sports

by Sam Amick, USA TODAY Sports

There is no bitter expression hidden underneath Dirk Nowitzki's mangy beard. No covert biting of the tongue, either.

The Dallas Mavericks star may have been critical of his owner's approach in the past, back when the wounds of Mark Cuban's cold and calculated roster-building ways were still fresh. But as Nowitzki nears the end of this memorable stretch of 12 consecutive postseason berths and ponders his future, the future Hall of Famer who vowed not to shave until his team reached the .500 mark swears he's not still upset about the way Cuban broke up the 2010-11 championship team and ushered in all this mediocrity.

But if nothing has changed by next season, if the Mavericks' imperfect-but-prudent plan to counteract the league's harsh new collective bargaining agreement backfires because they aren't able to land an impactful free agent this summer and return to the elite level during the twilight of Nowitzki's career? Might Nowitzki - who will be a free agent in the summer of 2014 - considering retiring in a jersey other than the Mavs' one he has always worn?

"Now that I already reached my goal (of winning it all), I really want to finish my career in Dallas," Nowitzki told USA TODAY Sports recently. "But saying all that, I don't want another year next year with the same as this year, (with) the frustration and playing for the eight or nine seed. I think we all know that this is a very big summer for us. (Mavericks general manager) Donnie (Nelson) knows. Cuban knows. We want to get back to the championship level."

For all the talk of how fans of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Memphis Grizzlies were the victims of this new NBA because of the James Harden and Rudy Gay trades that were ripple effects of the altered landscape in the league, none paid a steeper price than Nowitzki. At 33 years old, on the heels of a title that took 13 seasons in the league to win, a premier player in his prime was asked to wait patiently while the Mavericks balanced their salary cap books with the hopes of signing their next superstar rather than retain the likes of Tyson Chandler, Caron Butler and J.J Barea.

Cuban took the pragmatic approach, deciding to rebuild responsibly around Nowitzki rather than have an older, high-priced payroll that - as he saw it - wasn't going to repeat as champions and would take him out of the free-agent game for summers to come. It was, in a sense, the all or nothing, anti-Boston Celtics plan, one that could come with long-term payoff but would require some pain in the short term.

Or, as Nowitzki put it back in early January, it was the "building-on-hope" route, one that is still playing out but has thus far led to a 36-30 record last season and first-round sweep by Oklahoma City to this foreign idea of being done for good in mid-April this season.

"I tried to make the best out of it the last two years, and then I had some injury problems," said Nowitzki, the former MVP who missed the first 27 games because of right knee surgery but has looked like himself again of late. "But looking back, I think it was sad. I miss some of those guys we went to war with every night, but I think it's going to be a big summer for us."

Yet because their No. 1 free agent target last season, point guard Deron Williams, re-signed with the Brooklyn Nets rather than head for his hometown, the Mavericks' plan was, in essence, put on hold. They added the likes of O.J. Mayo, Chris Kaman, Darren Collison and Elton Brand in ways that didn't compromise the salary cap situation. And as this summer approaches, it's not as if the answers to the Mavericks' questions are coming any clearer.

Free-agents-to-be Dwight Howard of the Lakers and Chris Paul of the Clippers are expected by most to remain with their current teams, which may mean the Mavs pursue someone like Atlanta forward and fellow free-agent-to-be Josh Smith or perhaps do a deal for a young, dynamic player like Sacramento center DeMarcus Cousins. Nowitzki, said this summer will determine whether or not it was the right move.

"You can't really judge yet if it was a good move or the wrong move until you see what we get this summer," he said. "If we end up with nothing again and sign eight or nine (players on) one-year deals, then maybe it wasn't a good move to let everybody go. But if we can make this team younger and more explosive again and add a superstar, then maybe it wasn't all bad. I guess the judgment is still kind of out."

Cuban, who has consistently said he would not trade Nowitzki under any circumstances, is extremely sensitive to the idea that Nowitzki could ever don another jersey than the one he has worn since his rookie campaign in 1998.

"Of course he doesn't want to fight for an eighth seed in the future; none of us do," Cuban told USA TODAY Sports via e-mail. "Beyond that, like he has told me and the world, he can't see himself being anywhere else."

As Nowitzki is well aware, his ability to sip from the same fountain of youth as his contemporaries - from the Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant to San Antonio Spurs' Tim Duncan, Boston's Kevin Garnett and beyond - will have everything to do with the Mavericks' future too. Young players are watching his every move, wondering if he has enough left make Dallas as relevant as before. As for any thoughts on retirement, Nowitzki said he plans on signing another "two or three year deal" when his current contract expires after next season.

"Dallas has to be on the list of the top spots where (players) want to be," he said. "It's a great owner who supports you on and off the floor. It's a great city to live in â?¦ it's nice weather. The fans have always been there.

"I think it's the place to be, so hopefully some of the free agents are looking at us and want to join and obviously bring us back to where we want to be."

Nowitzki has looked more than worthy of late, never moreso than his 35-point outing at Chicago on March 30 in which he finished with a season-high 35 points on 14 of 17 shooting and scored Dallas' last eight points while hitting a game-winning three-pointer. And while 17.2 points-per-game pace is the lowest since his rookie season, he has averaged 19.4 points (53% shooting overall, 47.1% from three-point range) and 7.9 rebounds in the last 23 games while the Mavericks have gone 13-10.

"I feel good," Nowitzki said. "I'm moving better. I think it was frustrating for me in December and January, I think the mind was crystal clear and saw things and the body just couldn't respond to it. It's like you have to act within a split second out there, and I just couldn't go by anybody, I was a bad spot-up shooter. Hopefully I can keep this level up.

"I've put a lot of work into it since I came back - extra running, extra lifting, some cardio. And I guess when you're older you don't put as much time on the court anymore but the off court stuff is big. Strengthening your hips, and stuff like that is really important, getting pressure off your joints."

Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle, who has coached Nowitzki since 2008, expects him to be as good as ever in 2013-14.

"(The doctors) did whatever they needed to do in there (during the Oct. 19 arthroscopic knee surgery)," he told USA TODAY Sports. "Now he has the entire summer to cycle up to training camp.

"Mentally, I think he's looking at playing two or three more years, so as long as he's mentally locked in, his routine is always going to be consistent. He can keep playing at a superstar level. We've got to manage his situation the right way. We've got to get the right guys around him, to make sure we're playing him the right number of minutes, and all those things."

With the right players, and in the right jersey until the end.

"I've got obviously one more year on the contract next year, and by then I'm 36 and I'm sure I'll play a couple more years," he said. "It's kind of tough to say how long (he'll play). I'm thinking I'm going to sign another two or three year deal, and then slowly ride off."

"I don't want to be the guy who does it too long, you know? I want to be a guy who can still do some stuff at the end of his career, like Nashy (Lakers point guard and close friend of Nowitzki's, Steve Nash) and those guys - (Kevin Garnett) and Tim Duncan."